Supply list

Yarn

Felt

Keychain

Pipe cleaners

Glue gun

Does your child miss their play friends when they go off to school? It can be hard to leave all the enticing toys at home. With this simple tutorial, you will learn how to make a yarn monster that is perfect for accompanying little ones to school. These aren’t the scary kind of monsters. They’re fun and silly! Just like kids! And the best thing about them is that they can be attached to a keychain, making them less likely to get lost. They can take them everywhere they go! They’re easy enough that kids can make them with their friends too. Here’s how to do it!

1. Create a base of the monster body by wrapping yarn around your four fingers, excluding your thumb. The bigger you want your monster, the wider you should spread your fingers. Wrap it 70 times to create a thick body.

2. Cut a piece of yarn off about 9” and insert and tie yarn closed.

3. As if you’re making a tassel, cut the yarn circle in half evenly.

4. Tie the long pieces of the 9” yarn to a keychain.

5. Shape the yarn pieces with your scissors so that they are straight and not straggly.

6. To make the antennae, cut a piece of pipe cleaner in half and insert it with the tied yarn you created.

7. Twist the pipe cleaner twice so it doesn’t slide out.

8. Cut eyeballs with your scissors or with the punches and glue to the yarn. The Thick Materials Shape Punch is designed to cut through thick and heavy material, so you can get creative with the material you use for the eyes.

9. Add any remaining features you want to create the facial expressions of the monster like a yarn mouth, teeth, eyelashes, eyebrows, etc.

Now, get creative! Play around with the colors and yarn length. Make bangs or a ponytail by cutting yarn. Try playing with the shape of the eyeballs or colors of the pipe cleaners. With so many different combinations, your child will be creating a whole village of buddy monsters in no time!